Shoe supporting jack



April 25, 1933. A. R. MORRILL 1 SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Original Filed Nov.23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 1933- A. R. MORRILLSHOE SUPPORTING JACK Original Filed Nov. 23 1927 Patented Apr. 25, 1933ALFRED n. MORRILL, or BEVERLY, 'mssAcnusEr'ra AssieNon TO UNITED anonMACHINERY coRroRArIom'or rn'rnnsoir, NEW .rnn'snvjaconrom'rron on NEJERSEY Original application filed November 23, 1927,.S'eria1No. 235,369,Divi m a, 1931. serial ms. 549,377.

The present invention relates to automatic shoe machines and is hereinshown as embodied in a horn sewing machine for sewing the outsolesto theinsoles andassociated uppers of so-called-McKay shoes. In this machinethe shoe'is supported upon a jack and the jack and the sewing mechanismare moved relatively to transfer the point of operation about the shoe,and to change the relative positions of'the shoe and the operating meansto cause the shoe to be presentedproperly to the operating means as thepoint of operation is 'transferred about the shoe, all of therelative'movements of the shoe'and the operating means being producedand controlled by automatically acting mechanism.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improvedshoe supporting jack which is particularly adapted for use in a machineof the general type above described. 1 1

With this and other objects ingview, as will hereinafter appear, onefeatureof the present invention contemplates the provision of a shoesupporting jack which is pro vided' with gripping devices adapted togrip and hold an unlasted shoe during the positioning movements of the'jack free from interference with the horn or other devices for operatingon the :shoe. In the construction hereinafter described, the jackcomprises a toe support and a heel support, these parts being movablerelativelyto each other-and forced yieldingly toward one another to gripthe shoe. A wedge-shaped toe rest mounted on the toe support is adaptedto fit into the crease between the upper and attached insole ofthe shoeand a corresponding wedge-shaped-heel rest is mounted on the heelsupport to fit into the corresponding crease between the upper and theinsole at the heel. In order to secure the shoe firmly in position, theheel rest described forms one of 'two"clainping jaws,

the other being mounted to move relatively thereto ,to' engage theouter'surface of the sole so that the sole may be clamped firmly betweenthe two 'jaws.- This construction and arrangement of the 'jack enablesthe siron surronrrne .mcx

ded and this application and shoe to be gripped firmly and accuratelythe jack and presented'properly to the shoe operating devices withoutthe necessity ofv any particular skill on thepart of the; operator andwithout the use iofadditional locating devices correspondingin size tothe shoe being operated upon. 1 v

The several featuresof the presentinven- 1 Hon consist also in thedevices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedandclaimed, which together with the advantages be readily' understood by'one skilled-in the art-from the following descriptiontakenin connectionwith the accompanying draw- Figure 1 isa view in front elevation of oneembodiment of the invention in an -auto niatic McKay horn shoesewingmachine'; Figure 2 is i of the jack detail sectional plan view,taken on the line 33 of Figure2; and Figure 4-isa front view partlyinsection of. certain of the parts shown 'in Figure 2; illustrating theoperation of the mechanism for automaticallyop ening-the jack to releaseashoe on which the solev sewing operation has beenwpel 1 1:- H. p;

The machine herein disclosed as embodying the several features of thepresent in vention comprises a chainstitch's'ewing machine of theMcKay'type employing a straight hook needle and a whirl containing hornwhich extends within the shoe and is rotatable to assume, at all times;the most desirable position with relation to the work. For acompletedescription of the machine, reference may be had to the inventor spending application Serial No. 235,369 filed .November 23, 1927foranAutomatic shoe machine of which'the present application is adivision. The machine, except as described in the present applicationand-in the application above referred to, is similar in construction'and in the general arrangment of a front view. partly in section in openposition; Figure 3 is&

to be obtained thereby will the parts to that disclosed-in the patent toV particularly the subject-matter of the present invention is arrangedto grip a shoe entirely from the outside at the heel and toe to supportthe shoe and present it properly to the sewing mechanism -without, atthe same time, interfering with the movement of the horn within theshoe. The mechanism for actuating the jack to transfer the point ofoperation about the imparting" movements to present the shoe properly tothe work operating devices is similar in general construction and modeof operation to that described in the patent to Laurence E. Topham andAlfred B. Morrill No. 1,- 616,714,- dated February 8, 1927. In thedrawings, the sewing machine eleinents', as generally indicated inFigure-1, include a straight hook needle 20, a cast-off 22; a feedpoint24, apresser foot 26 mounted on. the head and driven from thesewing cam shaft 27, anda horn 28 containing a whirl v,30- of usualconstruction. 7 :The jack for supporting the shoe during theoperation'of the machine comprises a curved main. arm 32 which carriesthe instrumentalities for grasping and releasing the shoe and is.pivotally supported at its lower-end on a casing 34 formed on one; endof the lever arm 36. The jack is mounted. on the gimbal ring 38 by meansof the beari-ng pins 40 the ring in turn being pivoted to swing uponbearing pins 44 which are formed'onthe ring and at their outer endsengage bearingsin a wheel 46. 'The common axisof the pins 40 is locatedsubstantially at right angles-to the common axis of thetbearing pins 44to permit-the jack to swing'freely in anydirection about its connectionswith thewheel 46. The wheel 46 is mounted to rotate on-uaiverticalsleeve 48 formedzin the caslng 34 and has a groove 50 formed in itsouter surface to receive a'cord 52 for rotating the jack as thedifferent sides of the shoe are presented to the sewing mechanismwv IThe position: of the shoe on the jack is determined irrespective of itssize by contact witha toe support 54'rigidly mounted on 'a curved arm 56formed on the upper end of the arm 32 which comprises the mainsupporting column of'the jack. The toe support 54 consists of a.horizontally placed wedge adapted to fit'into the recess between thesoleland upper of the. shoe and having a concave edge conformingapproximately to the shape of the toe. The heel support consists of alever'arm 58 having at its upper end a wedge-like projection 60 to restagainst the heel portion of the upper adjacent to the sole and pivotedat its lower end on astud 62 within the arm 32 near the base of thejack. ,A heavyv spring 64 wrapped 7 about the stud 62 with a loopresting against the-arm 32' and with the ends bearingagainst ver 58 andan arm shoe and for the requisite tipping and turning" support means ofa clamp 78 formed on the upper the lever 58 tends to swing the levertowards the toe rest. The jack is maintained in open position againstthe pressure of this spring by means of a toggle lever having an arm 66pivoted at 68 on the heel supporting le- 70 pivotally mounted on a stud72 on the arm 56. A spring 74 coiled about the stud 72 and anchored tothe pin 76 tends to hold the toggle lever in "its straightenedposition."

The shoe is, clamped firmly to the heel during the sewing operation byendof a bar 80 which is adapted toslide vertically in guides formed inthe lever 58. The bar is pivotally fastened at its lower end by a stud82 to the lever 84 which forms one arm of a toggle lever, thelower arm86 being pivoted at 88 on the lever 58.

The stud 82 extends through a slot 90 in the lever 58to givedirection tothe thrust of the upper endrof the toggle. .A link 92 is also fastenedto the stud 82 and is connected by meansof slot 94-to the connecting pin96 of the two toggle arms 66 and 70. It will; be seen. that when, thetoggle joint formed by levers 84 and 86 is broken the stud 82 isdepressed'causing the clamp 7 8 to descend into clamping position andalso acting to break the toggle joint of the levers 66 and 70-so thatthe heel supporting lever 58 will swing toward the toe rest under theinfluence of'spring 64. A rod 98pivotally mounted onthe stud 82andadapted to slide in a bracket 100 on the heelsupporting lever 58carries acompressior' v spring 102 coiled about it between the bracket100 and a shoulder 104 on'therod in order to force the stud 82 downwardwhen the toggle composed of levers84and 86 is broken and alsoto exert aclamping pressure on the clamp 78. The mechanism for breaking the togglecomprises anarm' 106 on the toggle lever 84 which is'adapted to engagewithia lever 108 pivoted at 110 on the heel supporting lever 58. Inplacing a shoe in the jack the upper end' of the lever 108- is engagedby the heel portion of theupper and is forced backwards causing the,lever 84 to be turned about the stud 82 as a pivot to break the toggle.

During thesewingoperation the jack is rotated .ina counter-clockwisedirection through approximately 180 and is then returned to its originalposition preparatory to receiving a new shoe. Mechanism is provided forcausing the shoe holding devices in the jack at this point in theoperation automatically to release the shoe so that it may be easilywithdrawn by the operator and a new shoe inserted. A vertical shaft 111having a bracket 112 at the upper end and securedby means of a nutscrewed on its 'lower end is rigidly mounted within the sleeve 48;;inthe "casing 34, which supports the jack. The bracket 112, thus rigidlysecured with relation to the casing, carries a gimbal ring pivoted atpoints 114: which, in turn, carries abracket 116 pivoted at 118 atsubstantially right angles to the common axis of the bearings 114. Withthis construction the threaded spindle 120 which is formed on thebracket 116 and projects upwardly into the jack is permitted to swinfreely about its connections in company with. the jack, but is securedrigidly against turning. A nut 122 carrying a cam surface 124 is adaptedto turn on the threaded spindle, the pitch of the threads beingsufiiciently steep so that a small turn will raise the nut a relativelylong way. To cooperate with the nut a lever 126 is mountedon the stud 62and has one arm held yieldinglyin engagement with the top of the nut bymeans of a spring 128 stretched between an eyelet 130 on the lever 126and an adjustable screw eye 132 on the body portion 32 of the jack. Theother arm of the lever 126'carries a bearing surface 134 adapted to comein contact with an arm 136 of the toggle lever 86 and operates tostraighten the toggle into a position where it is held by a stop pin 138on the heel supporting lever 58. The lever 126 also carries a ledge 140to engage the heel supporting lever 58 and force it away from the toesupport .54 against'the pressure of the spring 64. A small controllinglever 1 12 is mounted on the body portion 32 of the jack and is held inengagement with the cam surface 124of the nut by a spring pressedplunger 144. When the jack is rotated in a counter-clockwise directionduring the sewing operation, the lever 142 will ride on the cam surface124 without effect, but as the jack is returned to starting position,the lever engages a projection 146 on the cam causing the nut to rotateabout the threaded spindle 120 and through the mechanism above describedto open the jack and releasethe' shoe.

The jack is movably mounted in the machine and automatically controlledso that the shoe is presented to the sewing mechanism and maintained inthe proper relative position thereto at all times while the stitchingprogresses around'the shoe. When the sewing is completed the jackautomatically returns to starting position. The shoe with its supportingjack is moved laterally in the line of feed to transfer the point ofoperation about the shoe and is guided during this movement by theengagement of the presser foot 26 with the stitch' receiving channel ofthe sole to determine the outline of the seam on the sole. As the pointof operation is transferred about the shoe the jack is tipped about thechannel guide as a fulcrum and laterally rotated to position the shoeproperly with relation to the sewing mechanism. The lateral movement of;

the jackto feed the shoe is imparted thereto by devices acting to feedthe jack, and the feeding devices of the sewing mechanism which directlyengage the shoe and cooperate with the jack moving feedingdevices. Thesewing mechanism and the positioning mechanism are driven in timedrelation to each other, the sewing mechanism. being stoppedautomatically at the endof the seam, while the positioning. mechanismcontinues its operation to turn the jack back to starting position. m 1i The jack is supported'asabove described on the forward end of thehorizontally arranged arm. 36wl1ich is mounted at its rear end to swingvertically about a stud 148 fixed on asupport 150. Thejack and arm 36are supported in an approximately horizontal position by means of a cord-152hav-. ing both ends fastened to eyelets .upon. the arm 36, andrunning over two stationary pulleys 156 mounted above thearm 36. on themachine frame, one. on each'side, to'permit the lever to, swing freelyon a horizontal plane. The cord also passes around a pulley 158 mountedon a weight 160 which counterbalancestheiweight of'the jack whilepermitting it to be moved easily up or down. The support 150 for thejack supporting arm 36 is, in turn, mou nted ona vertical lever 162-torotate in a plane slightly inclined from the horizontalto impart movementstothe lower end of the jack in the line of feed. The vertical lever1625 is forked at its base and isf pivotally mounted in-the machine bymeans of bearingpins to swing forwardly and rearwardlyand impart therequired tipping movements to the jack. The cord 52, above mentioned,through which rotary movements are 1111-, parted to the jack,-isconnected to a wheel 182 loosely mounted to turn on thevertical shaft184 and is guided over suitable pul'- I leysqaround the wheel 46 anddown to a pulley 186 mounted on a weight 188 which tensions the cord andtends to rotate the ack in a clockwise direction tostarting position.The wheel-'182'is rotated to pull inthe cord 52 against the pressure ofthe weight 188 to: rotate the jack and shoe ina counter-clockwisedirection during the operation'to transfer the, point of operation aboutthe shoe by means of connections with the pattern cam shaft 178.. q

The movements of theimembers of the.

jack supporting structure for. imparting tipping and rocking movementsto the jack are controlled by means of pattern-cams on the pattern camshaft l78qthrough' connections which are:fully set forth in the parentapplication and in'the patent to Topham and Morrill above referred'to;

The invention h aving beendescribed, what is claimed is: v a a 1. Amachine: for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, a work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe supportsmovable towards and from each other, clamping jaws mounted on the heelsupport arranged to receive the rear edge of the shoe sole between them,and a rest on the toe support arranged to enter the crease between theupper and sole at the toe of the shoe.

'2. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, a work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe supports,said jack being movable with relation to the horn and operating means totransfer the point of operation'about the shoe and clamping jaws mountedon the heel support arranged to receive the rear edge of the shoe solebetween them. i

8; A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, a work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe supports,clamping jaws mounted on the heel supportarrangedto receive the rearedge'of the shoe sole between them, and means rendered operative byplacing a shoe in the jack for actuating the jaws to clamp the-sole.

4. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating-on a shoe, a work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe sup-.

ports, clamping jaws mounted on the heel support arranged to receive therear edge of the shoe sole between them, a spring for closing the jaws,a locking device for holding the jaws separated, and means operated byplacing a shoe in the jack. for actuating the locking device to releasethe jaws.

I 5. A'machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a'shoe, a' work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe and a" shoe sup-' porting ack provided with heel and toesupports movable towards and from each other,

clamping jaws mounted on the heel support arranged to receive the rearedge of the shoe sole between them, springs tending to close the jawsand move the supports towards each other, locking devicesfor holding thejaws and supports separated, and means operated by placing a shoe in thejack for actuating the locking devices'to release the jaws and supports.

6. -A' machine for operating 'on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe,awork supporting horn arranged to extend within theshoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe supportsmovable towards and from each other,

said jack being movable with relation to the horn and operating means totransfer the point of operation about the shoe, clamping jaws mounted onthe heel support arranged to receive the rear edge of the shoe solebetween them, and means acting at the conclusion of the operation on theshoe to separate the jaws and supports to release the shoe.-

7. A machine for operating on shoes hav-' ing, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, a-work supporting horn arranged to extend withinthe shoe-and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel and toe supportsmovable towards and from each other, said jack being movable withrelation to the horn and operating means. to transfer the point ofoperation about the shoe,.clamping ports movable towards and from eachother,

said jack being movable with relation to the horn and operating means totransfer the point of operation about the shoe,.clamping j-aws mou'ntedon the heel support arranged to receive the rear edge ofthe shoe solebe.-

tween them, and means actuated by the return offlthe jack toinitial'position for sepalpatmg the jaws and supports to release the 0e.s

9. A machine for operating on shoes having, incombination, means foroperating on a shoe, a shoe supporting ack providedwith heel and toesupports, and clamping jaws on the heel support arranged to receive'therear edge of the shoe sole between them, said jack being movable withrelation to the horn.-

and operating means to transfer the point of operation about the shoe.

1.0; A machine for operating on shoes hav ing, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, and a shoe supporting ack provided with heel andtoe supports movable towards and from each other, clamping jaws mountedon the heel support arranged to receive the rear edge of the shoe .solebetween them, spring means for imparting a clamping ac tion to the jaws,spring means tending to, 7

move the heel and toe supports relatively towards each other, toggleconnection for holding the awsseparat'ed against the action of thespring means, a toggle connectionfor holding the'heel and toesupportsseparated, and a trip member actuated upon placing a shoe in the jackto, break the-tog gle connections to clamp a shoe in position.

11. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination,means foroperating on a shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel andtoe supports movable relatively towards and from each other, clampingLjaws mounted on the heel support arranged to receive the rear edge ofthe shoe sole between them, means for imparting a clamping action to thejaws, means tending yieldingly to move the heel and toe supportsrelatively towards each other, a locking device for holding the jawsseparated, a locking means for holding the heel and toe supportsrelatively separated, and a trip member adapted, upon insertion ofthesole portion of the heel between the clamping jaws, to release the saidlocking devices. 7

12. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel andtoe supports movable I relatively towards and from each other, clampingjaws mounted on the heel support arranged to receive the rear edge ofthe shoe sole between them, means for yieldingly moving the clampingjaws into clamping relationship, means tending yieldingly to move thetoe and heelsupports relatively towards each other, a toggle connectionfor locking the jaws in a separated position, a locking device forholding the toe and heel support in separated position, and means actingat the end of the operation on the shoe to move the toe and heelsupports relatively apart and to straighten the toggle connection toseparate the clamping jaws.

13. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, means foroperating on a shoe, and a shoe supporting jack provided with heel andtoe supports relatively movable towards and from each other, a screwthreaded member in the jack fixed against rotary movement with the jack,a nut fitted to turn on the screw, mechanism for imparting turningmovements to the jack to transfer the point of operation about the shoeand to return the jack to starting position, a lever engaging with thenut, means for causing the nut to rotate with the jack and actuate thelever, and means actuated by the lever to separate the heel and toesupports.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED R. MORRILL.

